Cheshire and Merseyside Health & Care Leaders Group
VSNW recently hosted an event with the Cheshire and Merseyside Health and Care Leaders Group in Warrington featuring guest speakers Dr Ellen Loudon and Raj Jain, Co-Vice Chairs of NHS Cheshire and Merseyside Health and Care Partnership.
The Health and Care Leaders Group is made up of leadership representatives from VCFSE organisations across the 9 boroughs of Cheshire and Merseyside, including our place-based CVS infrastructure organisations, and is tasked with ensuring the sector has an equitable role in the health and care economy across the region.
Warren Escadale, Chief Executive of VSNW, opened the event providing background to the work of the group since it’s establishment in 2019 and presented the potential future opportunities for the VCFSE sector to work closely with the Integrated Care System in Cheshire and Merseyside and champion the role for our VCFSE organisations.
Racheal Jones, Chief Executive of One Knowsley and Merseyside lead for the VCFSE Transformation Programme provided an overview of the strategic work happening now to strengthen VCFSE engagement in health and care across the region including the sectors participation in priority workstreams as community mental health transformation and the cancer alliance.
Alison Cullen, Chief Executive of Warrington Voluntary Action and Cheshire and Warrington lead for the VCFSE Transformation Programme presented the “Healthy & Home” programme in Warrington and Halton which aimed to embed the VCFSE sector within hospital discharge. The programme has seen remarkable outcomes, with data showing a cost saving of over £760k to the NHS with 76% of people not re-appearing in A+E after 12 months post referral.
We were then thrilled to be joined by Raj Jain, Chair of Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care Board and Co-Vice Chair of Cheshire and Merseyside Health and Care Partnership. Raj provided an overview of his role in the health and care system in the region, and the current challenges and strain facing the NHS. Raj was clear in his recognition of the VCFSE sector as “game changing” community partners that are crucial in the move towards prevention of ill-health.
Following on from Raj, Dr Ellen Loudon (Co-Vice Chair of Cheshire and Merseyside Health and Care Partnership, Director of Social Justice & Canon Chancellor at the Diocese of Liverpool, and Independent Chair of VS6 Partnership) provided an inspiring speech on the importance of the VCFSE sector in health and care transformation:
“"A transformation in the way we respond to health and care, from distant and transactional to an interactive responsive prevention focused model, is crucial to our collective endeavours; the VCFSE is vital to this transformation. We know how to do this and we are good at it! Very good at it.”.”
VSNW would like to thank our speakers and our attendees from the Cheshire and Merseyside Health and Care Leaders Group for attending this event and for providing valuable insights and challenges to the future of the role of the VCFSE sector in health and care. As Ellen puts it, “This is an exciting time for Cheshire and Merseyside”!
To view the Cheshire and Merseyside Health & Care Leaders Group, Terms of Reference, please click here.
Meet Rev Canon Dr Ellen Loudon, the Co Vice-Chair of the Cheshire and Merseyside Health and Care Partnership (HCP)
Hello, my name is Ellen Loudon - I am the independent chair of VS6. I have worked as a senior leader within the VCFSE for a number of years. Currently, I am the Director of Social Justice at the Diocese of Liverpool and Canon Chancellor at Liverpool Cathedral. I also chair a number of charitable boards such as Together Liverpool and Liverpool Diocesan Council for Social Aid and Micah Liverpool. I live in the shadow of Liverpool Cathedral with my two dogs - Holly and Tig.
I am pleased to have been appointed Co Vice-Chair of the Cheshire and Merseyside Health and Care Partnership as I see this as a once in a lifetime opportunity for us to seek change together. Addressing inequalities and advocating for social justice is what I am most enthusiastic about and is at the heart of the work I do. I have extensive experience of chairing regional boards that address and tackle inequalities such as the Liverpool City Region Fairness and Social Justice Advisory Board (FASJAB) on behalf of Steve Rotherham.
Through my role as Co Vice-Chair, I will be representing the VCFSE sector and joining Health and Care Partnership (HCP) colleagues in Cheshire and Merseyside to explore ways in which we can address the conditions that cause health and care inequalities. I am dedicated to ensuring that my role will be used to change the way we tackle these issues in a collaborative, fully integrated partnership. What is of particular interest to me is how the VCFSE can be an innovative leader in this work to make Cheshire and Merseyside fairer and more just.
I will be joining the next Cheshire and Merseyside VCFSE Health and Care Leaders Group meeting alongside Raj Jain (Chair). This is an opportunity for me to listen to the sector and make sure these voices are heard in the HCP. I am looking forward to hearing from the VCFSE sector representatives – about their hopes for the HCP and the role they want to play in the future of health and care across Cheshire and Merseyside.
Further Reading:
· https://www.vs6partnership.org.uk/aboutvs6
· https://togetherliverpool.org.uk/
· https://www.liverpoolcityregion-ca.gov.uk/governance/fairness-social-justice-advisory-board/
· https://www.kingsfund.org.uk/publications/what-are-health-inequalities
VSNW congratulate the Chair of our board, Sally Yeoman, for being presented with her MBE at Windsor Castle
Voluntary Sector North West are delighted to congratulate the Chair of our board, Sally Yeoman, for being presented with her MBE at a ceremony at Windsor Castle earlier this month.
Sally was awarded an MBE in 2022 for services to the community in Halton and St Helens in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List 2022.
In a statement Sally said: “It is an honour to be the CEO of Halton & St Helens VCA, to work with such incredible colleagues and partners and to see, hear and support the work of the sector across the North West every day is a privilege. I consider myself incredibly lucky to have these opportunities and to receive this honour for doing a job and for supporting causes and work that I love.”
The team at VSNW would like to convey our congratulations to Sally as we look forward to further working with her in the future!
VSNW Commissions Dave Packwood to Establish a Cheshire and Merseyside VCFSE Children and Young People Network
VSNW Commissions Dave Packwood to Establish a Cheshire and Merseyside VCSFE Children and Young People Network.
VSNW is pleased to announce that Dave Packwood has been commissioned to develop and establish a VCFSE Children and Young People’s Network in Cheshire and Merseyside.
This network will maximise the capacity of the local sector and influence the work of the Cheshire and Merseyside’s Integrated Health and Care System. It will provide an opportunity to share good practice, build relationships and network, identify common concerns and opportunities, and promote the local sector’s role in improving the lives of children and young people, including early years, in Cheshire and Merseyside.
Members of this network will also have the opportunity to shape the work of Cheshire and Merseyside NHS workstreams and boards. This includes the Children and Young People Transformation Board, and Cheshire & Merseyside’s Barnardo’s-Health Equity Institute pilot (see links below).
The network will meet online, six times a year. If you would like to get involved in the network email dave.packwood@vsnw.org.uk
Dave has worked within the voluntary sector for over 30 years, with positions in small local voluntary organisations, regional organisations and large national charities. Dave has been involved in facilitating a number of networks and Forums including the North West Children and Young Peoples Network which ran for 12 years from 2006 – 2018. Dave has a BA and MA in Youth Work as well as a Diploma in Management Studies and is a Level 5 qualified Executive Coach. He has also worked as an Additional OFSTED Inspector for Youth work and Voluntary Sector Advisor for Government Office North West. Dave now works as a VCS Consultant around Funding and Commissioning, organizational development and providing coaching for Chief Executives and Senior Managers.
Further Reading
· Appointment of new chair for the Children and Young People’s Transformation Board
Sally Yeoman MBE appointed VSNW Chair
Voluntary Sector North West has appointed a new Chair of the Board. Alison Page, has stepped down as VSNW chair after six years’ service, and the Board has appointed Sally Yeoman.
Alison, who joined the Board in 2017, has played a pivotal role growing both VSNW and our impact. During this time, the sector has secured ground-breaking agreements in how we work with public sector partners, like combined authorities and the new health and care partnerships. Under Alison’s leadership, VSNW’s ambitions to support the sector have rightly increased.
The new Chair of the Board, Sally Yeoman, CEO of Halton & St Helen’s VCA, has worked alongside Alison since 2019. Sally said:
‘I have supported the work of VSNW as a Trustee since early 2019. Having a strong regional voluntary sector infrastructure organisation is a huge benefit to us all and I am really pleased to be able to step into the Chair’s role. I know that following on from Alison will be a huge challenge. Alison has demonstrated great leadership, ensured we connect across the North West, led by example and leaves VSNW in a really strong place. It’s been a huge benefit to us as an organisation and me personally to work with and learn from Alison.’
VSNW, CEO, Warren Escadale said:
‘Without Alison’s guidance, expertise and support, VSNW would not be operating at the level that it is now. It’s that simple. Alison will be greatly missed by myself, the board and all at VSNW. As a figurehead for the sector regionally, and nationally, and a VSNW partner, our consolation is that we will continue to meet, work and champion the sector with Alison as often as possible!
I greatly look forward to working with Sally as the new chair of VSNW. Sally, myself, our staff team and the Board as a whole know that there are huge challenges and limited but important opportunities for the sector. Sally’s strategic insight, experience and daily insight will inform all that we do and how we look to deliver VSNW’s objectives and the current VSNW Strategy 2022/25. It’s sad that Alison is leaving the Board but we could not have a better incoming Chair.’
VSNW is seeking individuals with experience in the Voluntary Sector to join it’s Trustee Board. If you are interested in becoming a Trustee, please contact Operations Manager, Yen Tan - yen.tan@vsnw.org.uk for further information.
Further reading:
·
The King's Fund new report: 'Actions to support partnership'
The King’s Fund, the UK’s leading health think-tank, has published research on how local Health systems can build better partnerships with the VCSE sector. Commissioned by NHS England, the report includes examples of how together we can support the sector’s role through:
1. Sharing data, intelligence and insight
2. Commissioning, service design and delivery
3. Funding and sustainable investment into the VCSE sector.
VSNW CEO, Warren Escadale, said “We are pleased to have contributed to this report and to ensuring the ongoing inclusion of the sector in health and care. We know that the reorganisation of the Health and Care system over the last year has been difficult for all involved and we will continue to do our utmost to support our sector’s voice and potential. We know there’s a long way to go but the more we can outline how to work with us, through reports like this, the better.”
Further Reading
To read the report in full, please view Kings Fund - Actions to support partnership
King’s Fund Video - NHS in England explainer - (5 mins 44 secs)
NHS Confederation guide to ‘How health and care systems can work better with the VCSE sector’: https://www.nhsconfed.org/system/files/2021-06/How-health-and-care-systems-can-work-better-VCSE.pdf
King’s Fund’s guide to NHS reorganisation: ‘Integrated Care Systems Explained’: https://www.kingsfund.org.uk/publications/integrated-care-systems-explained
Cheshire & Merseyside VCFSE state of the sector survey launched today
Today is launch of the Cheshire and Merseyside VCFSE sector survey as part of a collaboration with the VS6 Partnership, Cheshire and Warrington Infrastructure Partnership (CWIP) and Voluntary Sector North West (VSNW). If you are a voluntary, community, faith or social enterprise organisation operating in Cheshire and Merseyside we invite you to be part of this exciting research project!
The survey is a crucial part of a wider Cheshire and Merseyside State of the Sector project designed to develop a deeper understanding of the VCFSE sector across the region in order to improve knowledge of the size and scope of the sector, understand needs and challenges, and develop data and insights that can be used at a regional and place level with commissioners, funders and to influence policy and decision making.
The VCFSE sector is facing many challenges including the aftermath of COVID-19, Brexit and the current cost of living crisis therefore it is essential that we develop a thorough understanding of the current state of the sector so we can plan for achieving a sustainability and resilience in Cheshire and Merseyside moving forward. Alongside this survey, we will also be producing several case studies across the region to elevate and ground this work.
This survey will ask questions on topic areas such as finance and funding, physical assets, workforce, and organisational development as well as general questions about your organisation type and areas of work.
The survey should take no longer than 15-20 minutes to complete and will be active until Friday 28th April. For any questions, please contact Laura Tilston at laura.tilston@vsnw.org.uk
To access the survey please follow this link: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/BRVW623
Many thanks for your participation.
Note on data transparency
All information provided through this survey will be held electronically by Voluntary Sector North West (VSNW) who are facilitating the collection, analysis and write-up of this data. All data will remain anonymous within any publicly available documents that are produced. Data obtained from each Cheshire and Merseyside borough will also be shared with the corresponding local CVS for use in future place-based work.
VSNW Gains Living Wage Accreditation
VSNW is delighted to announce that we are now accredited as a Living Wage Employer. Our work covers the North West, a region with nearly a fifth of all jobs (18.4%) paying less than the real Living Wage - around 534,000 jobs. Despite this, we have committed to pay the real Living Wage and deliver a fair day’s pay for a hard day’s work.
The real Living Wage is the only rate calculated according to the costs of living. It provides a voluntary benchmark for employers that wish to ensure their staff earn a wage they can live on, not just the government minimum. Since 2011 the Living Wage movement has delivered a pay rise to almost 400,000 people and put over £2 billion extra into the pockets of low paid workers.
Katherine Chapman, Director, Living Wage Foundation said: “We’re delighted that VSNW has joined the movement of almost 11,000 responsible employers across the UK who voluntarily commit to go further than the government minimum to make sure all their staff earn enough to live on.
“They join thousands of small businesses, as well as household names such as Burberry, Barclays, Everton Football Club and many more. These businesses recognise that paying the real Living Wage is the mark of a responsible employer and they, like VSNW, believe that a hard day’s work deserves a fair day’s pay."
Public invited to share views on Cheshire and Merseyside Health and Care Partnership Strategy
Cheshire and Merseyside Health and Care Partnership has launched a campaign to seek the views of people, communities and partners on the priorities within its interim strategy.
Our health is affected by many things – housing, unemployment, financial stress, domestic abuse, poverty and lifestyle choices. This can only truly be addressed via partnership working.
Consisting of representatives from across our communities, the NHS, local authorities, voluntary sector, housing, police, education and fire and rescue, and local businesses - our Partnership Board provides a multi-agency approach to assess the health, public health and social care needs of people across Cheshire and Merseyside – and develop a combined strategy to address them.
Through this campaign, the Partnership wants to gather as many views as possible and use them to shape its combined strategy and joint forward plan.
Speaking at the launch of the campaign, Health and Care Partnership Chair, and Leader of Cheshire West and Chester Council, Louise Gittens, said;
“We want to hear people’s thoughts on our priorities, and experiences of living and accessing services in Cheshire and Merseyside.
The development of Cheshire and Merseyside Health and Care Partnership provides a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to combine our efforts and collective resources to make real improvements to the lives our people and communities.
We’re calling on our people, communities and partners to please visit our campaign webpage, review our interim strategy, and answer some simple survey questions to help shape it further”.
The survey will remain open for several weeks, and once closed, all feedback will be reviewed, and used by the Partnership to both the finalise its combined strategy, and develop a more detailed delivery plan (called a Joint Forward Plan) by the end of June 2023.